Worth a Shot
by Efrain Hernandez
Summary: It was always the same when she came back. A sudden jolt into reality and then that one man waiting for her when she woke up. Inside she was torn. Who was more real to her? The distant memory or this new mysterious man named Arthur? R&R! CHAPTER 8 IS UP!
1. Dream a little dream

**1**

Arthur's brown eyes were the best thing that ever happened to her. He had been watching her by the second and when she woke up she went directly to him. Arthur kneeled down to her level as Ariadne embraced him with her all of her strength.

"Deep breaths," he said softly.

Ariadne nodded, completely unaware of her wet and warm cheeks. She just kept holding. It felt good to feel warmth, _real_ warmth. As her senses returned to her she instantly remembered where she was and who was with her. Ariadne released herself and wiped her eyes with her shirt collar.

"How do you do it?" she sighed.

"Practice," Arthur began unlatching her arm from the machine on the table that was next to her chair.

"Not going in, coming out I mean."

Arthur thought for a moment and then smiled with an "oh". He slid a strand of her behind her ears kindly. "Also with practice."

Ariadne got up from her chair to pace. Arthur watched her with a thought of concern.

"It took me more than five training sessions to get used to it."

Ariadne shook her head. She walked over to the window and watched the city below burst with life "It's just so amazing."

"It is," Arthur replied. "Mind if I ask what happened?"

Ariadne was hesitant to say.

"Death," he started, "in there it isn't real."

"This is all new to me. Extraction, the abrupt death, it's really something else," Ariadne suppressed her voice from breaking.

"It'll take time and training." Arthur smiled.

She folded her arms over her chest and looked around them. In the complex that they had selected there were different rooms to use but Cobb decided to use largest room with plenty of window room. Chairs, tables and whiteboards were scattered around but it was excellent working space. In there they were all free to breathe, including her.

"Where's everyone?"

She saw Arthur pack up the machine and walk around her. He shrugged as he took the suitcase into another room. "Don't know but have a seat. I've got something I want to show you."

Ariadne found a comfortable chair next to the window and waited. Her experiences with her new friends had her addicted but regardless of the thrill her last venture had bothered her.

"Tell me what you think," Arthur shouted from within the other room.

"Think of what?" Ariadne shouted back.

"Just listen!"

Ariadne growled but kept silent.

"_Stars shining bright above you…"_

Adriane's smile widened. "Are you playing a song?"

Arthur popped out of the room and leaned against the door frame looking at her. "Know what it is?"

"_Night breezes seem to whisper I love you…_"

She shook her head.

Arthur loved the advantage. He placed a finger over his lips and closed his eyes.

"_Birds singing in a sycamore tree…_"

"I want to make this your cue for your training and just yours."

Ariadne smile faded. She thought about the dream she had just left.

"_Dream a little dream of me_…"

"They're the Mamas and the Papas. What a great group."

"Could you go with on the next session?" Ariadne asked softly.

"Sure, I don't see why not," Arthur saw her pressing her hands firmly together.

"What's the matter?"

Ariadne couldn't tell him. She shrugged. "Nothing, why?"

"You look tense. That's not a good thing, especially not in this profession."

"Why? What happens?

"If your subconscious is distressed in the real world, then it's distressed in your dreams."

"You're talking about nightmares."

Arthur nodded.

"Come with me."

He nodded again. "I'll go with you." He knew it in his heart that something was definitely making Ariadne uncomfortable. He needed to see what. "Want to try again later tonight?"

"Sure," Ariadne preferred to wait but as long as Arthur was there then she was fine with his decision. She checked her watch and nearly shot into the air. "Holy crap, I'm late."

"Late? Where are you going?"

"Um...I've got to…run an errand. See you in a few hours?" Ariadne grabbed her bag and threw him a smile before leaving him standing with The Mama's and the Pappas's playing the background.

"Yeah…I guess I'll see you later," Arthur sighed and watched her leave.

"_Dream a little dream of me_..."


	2. Thomas

(Thanks for all of your reviews. This is my first attempt at a romance fanfic and I appreciate everyone's support. I'm usually a mystery and thriller writer personally but I found their relationship too be too good to not write about. You might say this first attempt is _worth a shot_? Ha-ha? Cue the cricket noise. There's more to come. I have this and a second mystery/action story in the making. If you enjoy it please review it to get the next chapter! Enjoy!)

**2**

A young man with large glasses held hands with a shorter girl. They walked in perfect sync across the university campus underneath a blanket of rich moonlight. Their frequent gazes at each other's smiles sent ripples down Ariadne's spine. When the couple reached the street that bordered the university, Ariadne hid within the shadows of a nearby corner and watched. Then the young man hunched down and planted a soft kiss on the girl's lips and Ariadne's heart retreated into the depths of her chest.

She turned away, not wanting to look anymore, but the scene was too intimate to ignore. If it was going to be the only connection she had with him then she had no choice but to absorb the last few chances she had to see him. Suddenly a hard twig crunched underneath her shoe and she darted away.

Ariadne ran as hard as her feet could take her. She was the only one on the streets that night so it gave her the privacy she wanted. There were no cars driving alongside her so that gave her the peace she needed. She was alone. The wind against her face slid her flowing tears towards the back of her ears. With every step she remembered the walk across the courtyard, the last kiss of the day before departing to their dorms, the usual surprise of him not letting her hand go and then following night that was spent together. In her head she remembered everything.

Ariadne pushed her body forward and leapt into the street. The last thing she consciously remembered was a bright light and a piercing screech. Then everything, including the young man with large glasses, went black…

* * *

"Get up, quick."

Ariadne recognized the voice with great content. "Arthur?"

Arthur helped her off of the middle of the intersection and brushed her down. He looked around him and held her face with his hands. "For the next five minutes don't ask questions ok?" He request was firm but polite.

Ariadne nodded obediently. She heard him but her eyes were the only things focusing. She was locked onto his own and fixed by a powerful gaze. Deep down she was almost at his mercy.

"Wait, what's going on?"

Arthur touched his fingertip on her lips. "You're so stubborn, I said no questions. Follow me."

He grabbed her hand and took her away from open light. They ran through the empty streets until they came to an alleyway. She looked at him cautiously. Arthur was silent as he looked into the darkness of the alley. He looked as if he was in deep though.

"Arthur?"

"That's still a question."

"Oh, sorry."

Arthur pulled her hand towards him as he finally decided to enter the shadows of the alley. He stopped underneath a fire escape that was hanging above him. Ariadne helped him bring the ladder down with curious thoughts running through her head. Arthur helped Ariande up the ladder first. She looked down at him and he looked up smiling. He sent the message and she got it.

_Trust me._

Ariadne climbed the apartment's fire escape with Arthur right behind her heels. The ambient lights from the street casted long creeping shadows across their faces. As the two climbed higher Arthur began to notice strange things. He watched as long shadows began moving towards them in the alley below. One of them looked up and pointed at the them.

"Ariadne, I'd hurry it up."

"Why, what's going-" Ariadne looked down and gripped the ladder's bars even tighter, "oh damn."

More people were filling the alley below them and they were beginning to climb the fire escape behind them. They followed each other up in a single fashion. Arthur gripped Ariadne's shoe.

"I'm going, I'm going."

Ariadne climbed even higher, hoping to reach the rooftop but the closer she got to the roof another story to the apartment was added. No matter how fast she climbed she was never any closer to the roof.

"Arthur?"

"You're asking questions."

"Seriously, what's going on?"

Arthur looked up and looked as if all of his hopes and dreams were suddenly destroyed. He pointed ahead of her and motioned with his head. Ariadne looked up as well and saw the same young man she saw kissing the shorter girl. He was now hunched on the rooftop with his arm extended but instead of helping Ariadne he want for Arthur who was behind her.

"Thomas?" She asked in a quiet voice. She was lost in mixture of emotions but that all changed with the young man pulled Arthur up from the fire escape to the rooftop above her.

Arthur did nothing but look at him. The young man however observed him with loathing eyes.

Arthur looked down at Ariadne and smiled. "Now you can ask your question."

Ariadne had nothing to say. She simply watched.

"I'll answer that for you," Arthur swept his hand through his hair and sighed. "You're dreaming."

The young man then grabbed Arthur's arms and pushed him off of the roof. He fell without noise or resistance. Ariadne, however, was screaming at the top of her lungs. She let go of the ladder and went after him. Arthur tried to reach out for her hand as they plummeted to the crowd below them. Nearly an inch away Ariadne felt only two thing for Arthur at that moment, pain and love.

The impact wasn't painful. In fact, Ariadne felt nothing but bliss but that was before she woke up.

* * *

_Beep. Beep._

Ariadne opened her eyes up with difficulty. Her eyesight was blurry but she could make shapes and color. She saw piercing and lost eyes and wondered about Arthur.

"How're you feeling?" Cobb's voice was like a ton of bricks to her ears. It was not the voice she wanted to hear.

Ariadne tried to sit up but the IV and searing pain held her back against the bed. A soft rain was lightly tapping against the window. It was a gloomy day and that made the hospital room even darker. She looked at herself and moaned.

"Are you hurting?" Cobb asked worryingly.

"I hate scrubs."

"No, you're fine." Cobb smiled and rested against the bed's railing over his folded arms. "You didn't go home last night did you?"

"Really? You want to talk now?" Ariadne placed her hands over her face. "At this time?" Her voice was muffled.

"We need to know, kid."

Ariadne sighed. She had to make up an excuse, fast. "I went for a stroll."

"For two hours?"

"What I gone that long?"

"No, that was how long you went strolling. Arthur told me you left before nightfall and you never returned."

"Was I?" Ariadne thought hard and remembered the training session she had asked Arthur to attend. "Oh."

"So, where were you?"

"I was," Ariadne's brain was jumbling inside of her, "I couldn't go back."

Cobb lifted his head up. "Why not?"

Ariadne tugged on her hair. "Cobb, I can't do this anymore."

He waited for her to explain but was just as eager to talk.

"I've been thinking hard about this job and I don't think I'm emotionally ready for this."

Cobb listened to her in silence.

"I have- I used to have a life before this and now…" Ariadne felt her cheeks warm up and her throat swell. The painkillers they had given her were beginning to wear off. She was slowly beginning to feel a cold pain shoot up the left side of her body.

Cobb got up and nodded. "I'll let you rest."

Ariadne pulled on his sleeve. "Please don't tell Arthur."

Cobb nodded. "Sure. I'll leave that up to you." He bid his farewell and left the hospital room. Ariadne was left alone to listen to the sporadic beating of the rain.

Cobb closed the door behind him and shook his head in frustration.

"I said to keep it quiet and minimal. I said to be discreet, dammit." Cobb frowned at the Arthur who was sitting outside Ariadne's room.

He got up to Cobb's eyelevel. "There's something bothering her Cobb. I can feel it."

"Don't find out." Cobb turned around and began to walk away.

"She needs me."

Cobb immediately stopped and pointed his index finger at Arthur. "No. You think she needs you. Whatever this thing is between you and Ariadne, take care of it or it'll mean the death of this group. Got it?"

Arthur said nothing.

"Keep the training separate from your personal life. You don't want to mix those two up." Cobb's breathing flinched. He paused for a moment and then walked away from Arthur. Arthur picked up a small metal suitcase that was lying next to his feet.

"I can help her Cobb. I can get her focus back." Arthur shouted.

Cobb didn't respond.

(I'm sorry if this has a few spelling and grammar mistakes. I really wanted to get this one written. I'll edit it as soon as I possibly can. Again, please be a good crowd and review this chapter. It really gives me an extra boost of energy to hear what you have to say. Thanks for reading and please review for the continuation of this story!)


	3. Escape

**3**

Arthur slid a loose strand of Ariadne's untidy hair and tucked it neatly behind her ear. He watched her silently like something he had never become before. There was something alluring about sitting next to her hospital bed while she slept. As her eyes moved quickly behind their skin shields and her index finger curled inward and outward like a blossoming flower about to catch its sunrise, Arthur finally felt something new in his adventurous and chaotic life. It only took one look at her beaten arms that lay helplessly alongside her body to realize what it was.

He couldn't stand discovering new bruises every time he looked at her, so he took to standing near the window where he could watch the outside world. Four floors below men in suits and white lab coats carved their way into the world as they moved to and fro. Deep down he knew he was one of them but on an elevated scale. Like them he was just trying to survive and make peace with their own subconscious. The only difference was that his subconscious wouldn't let him.

A muffled whisper perked his attention towards Ariadne and he immediately rushed to listen. His face was inches away from hers and the proximity was destroying him. The more he realized it the more he didn't take her beauty for granted. No, she was much more than that. Arthur suppressed his tension by squeezing the railing alongside her bed. Ariadne muttered something underneath her breath and he leaned in closer. Some part of him begged it to be his name.

Arthur walked away from the bed suddenly and cupped his mouth with his right hand. His body wouldn't let him leave the room but he felt tormented to be stuck in such limbo of emotions. His feelings towards Ariadne had elevated from flirtatious wonders to something darker and much more confusing. When he heard the noise again Arthur sat back down on the chair next to the bed and waited.

He knew what the new feeling was and as foreign as it was it as also excited him. He never felt so strongly for someone other than himself before that the magnetism he felt for Ariadne was evidence of powerful forces at work. Arthur watched Ariadne was wide eyes and waited. Before he met Ariadne he was complete and alone; a one man star to his own movie. But Ariadne was doing something to him and he loved it.

She opened her mouth to whisper the noise again and he leaned in as far as he humanly could.

Somehow in some ridiculous way…

The urge to do something overwhelmed him when she breathed in.

Somehow in some fantastic way…

Ariadne smiled and whispered only one word.

Somehow Ariadne had left a deep and endless hole in his heart. It was a hole that was deep enough for him to fall through for an eternity and for the first time in his life he was incomplete.

"_Thomas_," she said softer than wind.

Arthur moved away and held his breath until it stung. He picked up the silver suitcase and quietly walked out of the room. Arthur turned around just when Cobb had reappeared in front of him.

"Holy! Where did you come from?" Arthur gasped.

"From your place but my question is what were you doing in there?" Cobb looked at the door behind Arthur.

Arthur's throat itched. "I was watching Ariadne- looking after her I mean. I was just watching."

"Well then you can help me with getting her out of here."

Arthur nodded but then immediately stopped. "Wait, why are we getting her out?"

Cobb was already inside looking for the foldable wheelchair that was stored in the closet.

"Aside from a slight legality with Ariadne's crash we've got a pretty big problem."

"How big?"

Cobb shrugged. "Oh I don't know…Enough to put us away, I guess."

"Ah, understood."

"We need to put her in the wheelchair while I…" Cobb sat down the chair and thought for a moment. "Wait here."

Cobb disappeared from the room leaving Arthur with Ariadne.

"Oh what did you get us into?" Arthur said under his breath.

He thought about the execution of the mission at hand and wondered how he would put Ariadne into the wheelchair. A hand behind the small of her back? Two arms behind her beautifully curved rear and shoulders? He sighed, knowing it would be a thousand times more difficult because it had to be him. Arthur decided to simply pick her up with his arms and softly set her into the chair.

The door to the room opened and in came a handsome doctor who appeared almost identical to Cobb. Arthur smirked. "Damn, you're good."

"Second best to you." Cobb said as he wheeled Ariadne out of the room.

"Now tell what's going on."

"The driver that nearly killed our little architect drove out of the way and managed to only hit her with the rear bumper."

"Only." Arthur repeated.

"She's lucky to be alive, Arthur. Don't test it."

"Does this have to do something with the driver?"

"Well, if you leave out that the driver is in critical condition then no"

Arthur felt the pressure of the situation. "How critical?"

"I don't know but at this point we can't do much but take care of our own. We need to get her out of here and out of public eye or else this whole situation will be out of our control."

Arthur caught a glimpse of the ID on his shirt pocket and noticed a twenty year age difference. The ID read Dr. Coleman Loche.

"Who's coat is that, Cobb?"

Cobb guided them through several hallways of oblivious nurses and doctors into a silent maintenance hall. While he wore the lab coat no one really paid them any attention. Cobb's plan was definitely working. He stopped in front of a large door that read EMERGENCY STAFF EXIT. The door had a keypad over the handle. At the foot of the door was a man that matched the photograph of Cobb's ID. The doctor was unconscious and unaware of anything.

"Since we can't just walk out through the front door we're going to have to go through the staff exit. It'll be much faster and quieter."

"And the code to unlock it?"

Cobb tapped on the doctor's forehead.

"I want to do it, Cobb." Arthur said immediately. He looked at Ariadne and felt empowered and even obligated to do it.

"Figured you would." Cobb opened the silver suitcase that Arthur was carrying and pulled out a thin, long tube. He adjusted the timer and then attached the tubing to Arthur's arm. Arthur watched Cobb intensively. During his entire run with Cobb he trusted the man entirely. Cobb seldom made mistakes and even if he did he found a way around them. Somehow, someway he got the job done.

"Ready?" Cobb asked.

Arthur nodded and laid down on the clean tile floor. In his mind he had two things: getting the key code and Ariadne. But soon after Arthur's mind went blank and the last thing he heard was a soft hiss and an echo that followed him deep into his sleep.

_Thomas_, the echo called out. _Thomas_…

* * *

Dr. Coleman Loche was in his surgical scrubs and he was completely ready to make the best of his decade long study in the medical field. A massive lamp that hung a few feet above him shined an orb of light that draped the patient in white. Dr. Loche had several trays surrounding him with surgical utensils and gears.

"We'll need to cut through the sternum and if the heart rupture's then that'll give us less than five minutes to patch this poor soul up. What do you say Doctor…"

"Bale. Doctor C. Bale." Arthur appeared from the shadows of the operating room. He was also wearing scrubs but his face was hidden behind a face mask. "I agree with you."

Dr. Loche looked at him for several seconds and smiled behind his own face mask. "You must me new."

"I just got in this morning."

"Fantastic. I always love working with fresh meat!" Dr. Loche laughed at his own tasteless joke and then pulled out a buzz saw.

"Dr. Loche, mind if I ask a question?" Arthur remained calm and focused.

"Of course not, what is it?"

"There's something that I left downstairs and I don't think I'll make it in time by walking through the main halls and public staircases. I think I'd rather go down the emergency staff exit."

"But that's for emergencies only." Dr. Loche's voice was rising. "You might be new here but that doesn't give you the right to take advantage of us."

Arthur needed to act fast. "Of course not sir. I didn't mean to make you think that way. I was only trying to take the fastest route due to the seriousness of this surgical procedure that we're in. Wouldn't you think it'd be wise to get my errand over with so that you have yet another achievement in your long line of fine surgeries?"

Dr. Loche sat the buzz saw down and nodded. He understood him perfectly. "Good call, Doctor. The key code is 0-7-1-6-1-0-"

_Bingo_, Arthur thought in his head.

"Now go do whatever is it that you have to do and meet me back here. I'm afraid this will be a bit messy and without anesthesia it might be twice as difficult. No worries though." Dr. Loche coughed up another chuckle and turned the buzz saw on.

"Thank you Dr. Loche." Arthur said, disturbed, as he walked away. He was three feet away when he saw the patient on the operating table. He recognized the long, flowing brown hair and the soft skin. The patient looked up Arthur and batted their eyes curiously. Then a small arm poked out from underneath the operating sheet with an enclosed hand. Its fingers began to uncurl and a small die suddenly slipped through and plummeted towards the ground. It rolled and stopped at Arthur's feet landing only to show six dots staring up at Arthur's own bewildered eyes.

"Save me, Arthur," the patient whispered.

Arthur's heart stopped dead and lunged towards Dr. Loche before he lowered the Buzz saw onto Ariadne's body. Dr. Loche fought back enough to push Arthur away.

"What the hell is the meaning of this!" Dr. Loche shouted angrily as he began swinging the Buzz saw near Arthur's torso.

Arthur flipped one of the surgical trays away from him which flung its contents towards Dr. Loche. Arthur needed to get Ariadne out immediately. Dr. Loche covered his face with his arms as knives began raining down on him. Unfortunately the weight of the Buzz saw was too great for him to hold up. The hissing cutter inched nearer and nearer to his face until…

* * *

Dr. Loche's snapped open. The doctor turned his head toward Cobb who was carefully watching the silver case and Arthur at the same time. He looked up at Ariadne in the wheelchair and frowned angrily.

"Goddamn Extractors," the old man growled.

Cobb didn't notice Dr. Loche bolt up. He was too busy studying his friend, hoping that the artisan in front of him was really the best of his trade. However, it only took Dr. Loche one second to release himself of the device and wrap his hands around Cobb's neck and two seconds to start a wrestle that moved Arthur around in his place. Dr. Loche slammed his fist against Cobb's ribs, unintentionally pushing the back of his foot against Arthur's side.

* * *

Arthur couldn't adjust to the sudden change of gravity and was forced backwards. His back collided with the wall behind him making him loose his breathe.

Cobb broke free of Dr. Loche's grasp and shoved him aside. Dr. Loche grabbed Cobb's hair just before he toppled on top of Arthur.

Arthur felt the pressure inside of the operating room begin to build up. Ariadne was still laying on the operating table which was rolling all over the floor. He got on his knees and crawled towards the table. Her eyes were still wandering around the room curiously and apparently oblivious to the events around her. He struggled to get back on his feet but managed to do so. Arthur picked up Ariadne from the table with his own two arms and carried out of the room, dodging the ceiling tiles and apparatus which were suddenly collapsing around him.

* * *

Dr. Loche was still on top of Arthur with Cobb attempting to move him away. Dr. Loche gave Cobb another strong jab against the head and knocked Cobb away.

"I hate Extractors. I hate all of you!"

Dr. Loche kept his weight on top of Arthur while he dialed a number on his cell.

"Security? I need you at the third maintenance hall on the fourth floor. We have intruders in the-"

A loud pop sent Dr. Loch flailing sideways. Ariadne was standing over his unconscious body with her hand balled up into a fist. She had a look of exhausted bewilderment.

"Nice punch, kid." Cobb appeared behind her.

Ariadne was in pain as she was confused. She looked at Arthur's sleeping body and Cobb's bleeding eyebrow. Her eyes kept moving from Arthur to Cobb.

"I'll get the answers eventually," she growled. Ariadne and Cobb then began to pull Dr. Loche off of Arthur's body but the dead weight was too much.

* * *

The pressure inside the room was getting worse and Arthur felt himself being crushed from the outside.

"I'll get us out. I can do it sweetheart." He groaned.

"You called me sweetheart." Ariadne looked up at Arthur who looked down at her. A thin smiled curled upwards, making him do the same.

"Of course I did."

Ariadne's smiled grew and she closed her eyes. She sighed and said one word.

"_Thomas_."

* * *

Arthur woke up with gasp. He noticed the sudden excitement of Dr. Loch's body weighing him down with Cobb and Ariadne trying to pull him aside. Arthur's eyes met with Ariadne's and a wildfire of emotions set him ablaze. With one clean push Arthur moved Dr. Loche's body aside.

"Arthur, are you alright?" Ariadne asked in a quick voice.

Cobb stood in front of him. "What happened in there?"

Arthur couldn't answer him. He could only looked at Ariadne with pain in his eyes.

"Arthur?" Cobb noticed something was wrong.

Arthur saw the exit and immediately punched the key code in. The door opened with a hiss and he was the first one down the steps.

Ariadne looked at Cobb. "What's going on?"

Cobb was equally confused. "I…don't know."

Arthur knew. He knew it in his heart, that deep, endless hole in his chest that he now had to wear with him. He felt no exit to his urges and pains, no relief to his nightmares and the echoing voice. With every step he took downstairs he was slowly beginning to realize that there _really _was no escape.

(BIG SIGH. Wow, I got chills from writing this strong mixture of romance and action. I hope this had the same effect on you as it did to me. What a relief to get this chapter done. I'm so proud of how my story is working out but there is still so much to explain and lots more to write. I haven't even begun to tie up the who's and what's of the story. By now some of you should be getting an idea of where this is heading and I believe that as more chapters come up, you all will not be disappointed by what you read. Once again thanks so much for your support in your reviews. They are very helpful and I believe YOUR reviews are what make this story go. This first attempt at romance is turning out better than I thought as I can see so much positive reaction. I know this isn't the most original pairing out there but by-God will I make it creative. So I leave you with this chapter and my only request is for your review. No matter how small or big, everything counts. Thanks for reading!- EH)


	4. The Magician

(Alrighty, the point of no return. I'd like to begin by saying that Chapter Four and Chapter Five were originally just one chapter. I like the transition between the two but unfortunately the two together would've been unbearably long to read so I decided to split them. This chapter is a nice teaser about what's to come. I'm sorry if it doesn't get your engines rolling for you Romantic, Action or Mystery fans out there but if you pay close attention you might actually get a few hints about the direction of the story. Please review it anyway and let me know what you think and then proceed to Chapter Five for the BIG ONE. Oh yes, answers will be revealed! Enjoy!)

**4**

"What's on your mind, Cobb?"

Cobb snapped back to reality and raised his eyebrows. Eames walked up next to him with his usual demeanor and crossed his arms. Cobb's expression became focused again but his eyes remained on the window in front of him.

"I don't feel right, Eames. Something is wrong."

"In this job there usually is."

"No, it's not something we did. Nor is it something we can prevent, I think."

"If we can't control it then there's no point in doing so and no use in sulking around in it."

"Eames," Cobb began as he pulled out a business card from his pocket. He revealed a black and white insignia of a miniature maze that was centered on one side of the card.

Eames did a double take and scoffed. "Where in hell did you find this?"He picked up the business card, felt the expensiveness of the material and examined the insignia.

"I took it."

Eames stopped cold as he looked at Cobb bewildered.

"You took this? Meaning this card was within a hundred mile range?"

Cobb nodded. He continued staring at the people walking around in the streets below and wondered how many of them realized that they were awake. He would've given an arm just to know who had been living in auto-pilot their entire lives.

"We have to relocate then and find some other place to regroup." Eames's voice was rushed.

"We're not going anywhere." Cobb looked at Eames. "We're not running. We're staying here until this," Cobb eyed the card in Eames's hands, "whole thing blows over."

"I hope you're right. How did you get that anyway?"

Cobb closed his eyes and re-winded his mind to his first confrontation with a bedridden Ariadne. He remembered the argument with Arthur before walking towards another hospital room…

* * *

Cobb stood in front of a white door with a folder hanging on it. He read the name on the tab and then closed his eyes before knocking on the door. One deep breath and an answer later and he was completely in character.

"Can I help you?" A dark haired woman who was turned away from Cobb asked him with a weary voice.

Cobb entered the room and smiled. The woman was still turned away. She was sitting next to a bed that was occupied with a man completely draped in bandages.

"Hi, I hope I'm not disturbing you Mrs. Grant." Cobb held out his hand.

Mrs. Grant finally turned around to look at him and returned the smile. Cobb was taken aback. She had a sudden beauty that he was not prepared for. She had tender brown eyes, a thin and sophisticated smile and lovely skin that reminded him of someone in hidden in the far recesses of his memories.

"Of course not," she answered softly.

"I'm Detective Michael King and I'd like to ask you a few things."

"About my husband's accident?"

Cobb nodded.

"Could I see your identification?" Her voice had changed to immediate and defensive.

Cobb handed her his badge and observed the man in bandages. Mrs. Grant gave him back his badge and folded her hands quietly.

"Ask away," she said.

Cobb sat down in the chair next to hers. "I read the report. It states that your husband was driving yesterday evening before the crash. Do you know where your husband was driving from and to?"

"No, I don't," she answered back strongly.

"What line of work does your husband specialize in?"

"Corporate Security." Again she answered back with a tense tone.

"Really? With whom?"

"I don't know. He never spoke about his employers."

"I see and what is the extent of your husband's injuries?"

"Well, the doctors told me that he's unconscious and is suffering several broken bones."

"Unconscious?"

"Yes," Mrs. Grant's eyes suddenly flared, "and when I see the person who did this…"

"I understand, Mrs. Grant. And what type of work do you specialize in?"

"Me? Oh I'm a magician."

"A magician?" Cobb repeated.

"Oh yes. Would you like to see a magic trick?"

Cobb felt an uneasiness surge through him. "Sure, why not."

Mrs. Grant closed her eyes and slapped her hands together. She rubbed them together furiously before taking them back apart with fingers closed. She opened her right hand up and placed it over Cobb's shirt pocket and stretched out her left arm.

"Make a wish," she whispered.

Cobb's uneasiness was topping over.

Mrs. Grant opened her eyes back up and smiled. She uncurled her left hand and showed him a small object that was sitting on her palm.

Cobb studied the object and carefully picked it up. It was Mal's spinning top.

"How did you-"

"I'm a magician, Mr. King." Mrs. Grant smiled quickly and then checked her cell phone. "I'm sorry but I have to go."

"Of course," Cobb pocketed the top and stood up. Suddenly a small rectangular card caught his eye. It had an image that he was too familiar with. The business card with a maze for an insignia was on top of the nightstand. Cobb looked around for Mrs. Grant and then followed to place the business card into his pocket. Cobb felt the card burn a hole in his shirt but we remained calm regardless and left the room.

As Mrs. Grant closed the door behind her she looked at Cobb and sighed.

"If there's nothing else the police department needs, I would like to leave this matter be. I just want my husband back."

"I understand and I wish your husband a speedy recovery."

Mrs. Grant bid her farewell and left Cobb standing alone with his mind entirely on the object in his pocket. He took a deep breath and hoped Arthur was still at Ariadne's room. Cobb took off as fast he could as he tried to make sense of everything.

* * *

"Since when did you forge?" Eames's admiration towards Cobb's counterfeit badge was obvious.

"Oh, I did a couple of forgery jobs a few lifetimes ago." Cobb smiled lightly hoping he would _get_ it.

"Why did you go in there to begin with?" Eames asked.

"I had to know how the driver was doing."

"Not your responsibility, Cobb."

"That doesn't mean I don't have to take into consideration who's lives we've just broken."

"Cobb, Ariadne didn't look where she was going. The man wasn't looking where he was driving. The two _nearly_ collided and the driver took the shorter end of the stick. It's called life."

"What about that?" Cobb pointed at the business card again.

Eames looked down. "I have nothing to say about this." He shook it in the air and then dropped it.

"Where are you going?"

Eames was on his way out of their headquarters when he stopped. He turned around and pointed at the card on the floor. "I'm going to start working on Plan B before _that_ thing bites us in the ass."

"What's Plan B?"

Eames laughed on his way out. "You will see."

Cobb looked at the maze on the card once more and felt himself being suddenly pulled into his own maze of confusion. Then he stepped on the card as if it was an insect.

(Remember, please review! No matter how short, everything will be appreciated! Even you random fanfiction reader who doesn't normally review. Yes, you. Your review counts too.)


	5. The Knight's Arrival

**5- The Knight's Arrival**

"So where were we?" Arthur said calmly. He sat down in the chair opposite of Ariadne's. As much as she looked unnerved and distracted Arthur remained determined to put aside everything that had happened since. In between them was a coffee table with a silver suitcase on it. He opened the suitcase and began preparing for the next training session.

Ariadne looked at him strangely. "What are you doing?"

"Don't tell me you forgot our little arrangement." Arthur smirked.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry Arthur. It's just been a crazy week since the accident and-"

"Don't think too much," Arthur answered quickly. "Here put this on." He handed her the tubing.

Ariadne smiled and kept quiet.

"How are you feeling anyways?"

Ariadne chuckled. "Other than feeling like I was almost ran over, pretty good I could say."

"And the dreams, are they still bothering you?" Arthur listened carefully.

Ariadne didn't know what to say except, "I guess."

Arthur attached the tubing to his own arm and leaned back in his chair. He was about to time the music player to play "Dream a little dream" when Ariadne gasped.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked.

"I think I want to hear something else."

"Oh? What did you have in mind?"

"I want to hear your favorite cue."

Arthur laughed. "That old song?"

"Sure, what was it called again?"

"Listen closely," Arthur pronounced it with great fluency, "Non, je ne regretted rien by the great Edith Piaf."

"Why do you like it so much?" Ariadne was intrigued by his fixation with the French song.

"Well, it's kind of fitting. It's my song choice to know when time is almost up and that we need to wrap things up."

Ariadne was paying close attention but more so in the way he moved his hands. She felt a calming and warm sensation when he described things with his hands. She couldn't look away.

"It also signifies that we should move on. Translated down to a simpler level, the song sort of celebrates living life without regrets. We do what we want to do in our dreams and we move on."

"You've got a way with words."

Arthur shrugged with a smile hanging over his face. He changed the song and leaned in closer to Ariadne who was all set to go.

"Now before we begin, I need to know if you're ready for this."

Ariadne felt the urge to embrace him like she did before and keep him close.

"Sure... yeah I mean." Ariadne nodded quickly.

"I mean I know how fragile your body is right now and I don't want to push you."

Ariadne scoffed playfully and hit the trigger button in the center of the dream device.

"Just because I have boobs doesn't mean I'm _fragile_."

Arthur smiled and closed his eyes. He thought very deeply about what she meant. In seconds both Ariadne and Arthur faded into blackness with a hissing sound lingering in their ears.

The first training session involved Ariadne designing paradoxes in Arthur's dreams. She meant to design streets that never ended but instead found that she had forgotten the junction between planes. After several minutes of driving Arthur and Ariadne met the end of the street by running over the edge of her constructed city and into a bright oblivion. It was a failure but a failure that Arthur was proud of. It was his intention for Ariadne to learn. The more she failed, the more he grew fond of her stubbornness and frustration.

The second training session required Ariadne to maintain small town with even smaller communities inside without have any projection cross the communal boundaries. Ariadne was successful but only to a point. Eventually Arthur noticed that there was also no way they could travel between other communities. He noticed the anger building up inside her and sensed his own passion to cool that tension.

In Ariadne's final session Arthur placed them both in the middle of Times Square. The streets were packed with thousands of passing projections. The lights surrounding them were glistening brilliantly. A rose cart was conveniently placed behind that sold hundreds of beautiful flowers. Ariadne eyed the flowers but Arthur shook shi head no. Her objective was simple: to cross Time Square without getting caught.

"What's the hard part?" Ariadne joked.

Arthur motioned towards One Times Square, the tallest building on the street.

"And?"

"I want that building on the other side."

Ariadne looked at him bizarrely but found his cheeky grin too cute to turn down. They crossed the street together and pushed themselves into the thick crowd of colliding bodies. She tried to stay calm while she imagined the massive buildings circling around the intersection. But the more she concentrated the more paranoid she became by the projection's sudden behavior. They slowed their walk across the intersection and stared.

"Don't look at them, just keep walking." Arthur's voice was comfortable and soothing.

"Ok…" Ariadne said uneasily. She continued to move the building around and picked up her pace.

"No, don't walk fast. The key is to be as low key without being low key."

"What? That's doesn't even make any sense!"

"Show them that you're one of them. Make them see you're not a threat."

Ariadne nodded and slowed her walk. As the buildings turned and the crowd continued to walk, she slowly felt her hand wrap around his. Arthur noticed this as well and responded by curling his fingers inwards. A strange and fluid like attraction then enveloped their bodies. To some it was called the "spark", to Arthur and Ariadne it was simply the best thing ever.

"In a dream if you ever get lost, just keep going," Arthur began, "don't look back…"

One Times Square finally stopped moving and the two of them finally reached other side of the intersection without attracting any of Arthur's projections. Ariadne realized that they had walked into the exact same location that they ended up. As they walked back onto the curb, Arthur stepped up to the rose cart and picked out the reddest of them all. He gently handed the rose to Ariadne.

"…and you'll end up right where you were." Arthur watched as Ariadne blushed and felt his fingers tingle.

Ariadne turned the rose around in her hands and felt silent. Arthur grew worried.

"Is something the matter?"

Ariadne suddenly reached up and pecked Arthur on his cheek. He looked at her and saw the street's lights reflecting off of her large brown eyes. She had answered his question.

Then Arthur head a French woman's voice fill the air around them in a stirring daze.

When Arthur and Ariadne returned to the real world, Ariadne realized how strange the dream world was in comparison. She looked at her own hands and saw that they were empty. There wasn't a rose to be found.

Arthur noticed her disappointment and leaned forward. He touched the bottom of her face gently and smiled.

"Hey," he said softly.

Ariadne saw Arthur reach deep into the suitcase. He finally pulled out a rose that looked identical to the dream flower and slid it into her open hands. She held the rose close to her chest and then finally embraced him with all of her strength. Arthur never gave her a chance to let go.

"There's something that I want to show you." Ariadne whispered into his ear. She moved away from his shoulders and sighed.

Arthur could see the same look on her face as she did whenever she woke up from _her_ dreams.

"What's bothering you, Ariadne?"

"Please don't think of me differently," Ariadne's voice tensed.

"Is it the dreams you've been having?" Arthur was suspended. The thought never escaped him but he also didn't try to make his passion to know too obvious.

"You won't understand at first but there are things that I should've taken care of before I signed up for this job. I didn't know that this was going to be so hard."

"Ariadne, who's Thomas?" Arthur's own question had split him in half. His mind couldn't make up whether he wanted to know or not.

She didn't answer him. Ariadne only pressed the trigger button again but was the first one to fall asleep. Arthur saw her drift away with the rose still tightly clutched in her hands. Then he heard the hiss in his ears and he too fell back into his chair. Although his body stopped, he could feel himself pass through the chair and descend into a dark abyss…

* * *

Arthur saw giant chess pieces instead of the usual cityscape. The sky was a blanket of blood red. He followed Ariadne as they passed one chess piece after another. He noticed that even the asphalt ground they were walking on was designed like a chessboard.

Arthur looked around at the strange environment and saw that they were the only two inhabitants. "Where is everyone? I've never been in a dream without a single projection."

Ariadne continued to walk as she spoke back. "I don't know. Lately my dreams have been getting stranger, as if I don't have any control over what's going on."

Arthur didn't like the sound of that.

"Ariadne, you mind telling me what's this all about?"

"When I left that evening I remember going back to my University."

"Was that where you were? Is that why you didn't come back?" Arthur looked up at the hundred foot tall Pawn that towered above him.

"I didn't mean to. I mean, I lost track of time."

"What were you doing there?"

Ariadne remembered the watching the young man with glasses. The man who was called Thomas.

"I couldn't help not going back. I _had_ to see what I left behind."

"Left behind? You mean school? Ariadne, you don't have to quit college."

Ariadne stopped and turned around him angrily. "No! That's not what I mean. Dammit, why is this so difficult?"

Arthur held her close. He didn't want her to stress too much and more specifically in her dream.

"Ariadne, whatever is going on I want to help."

Ariadne began to sniffle as she touched his shoulders and arms. "The truth is I don't even know what's going on. It's like I'm being forced to have these dreams. I can't escape them. I can't escape _him_."

"Who?" Arthur asked. "Who is bothering you?"

"A distant memory, that's all he is. Why is he tormenting me? Why can't I understand that?" A single tear rolled down her cheek when she looked up.

Arthur saw that she was practically talking with herself. Then she asked the million dollar question.

"Arthur, help me. Please," Ariadne grabbed onto his shirt.

Arthur nodded and said nothing more. Suddenly Ariadne felt a deep rumble beneath her feet. Vibrations from below the ground began to rattle her bones. Arthur looked around them and saw that the giant chess pieces were beginning to fracture. A crack started at the top of each piece and then as they split in half smaller chunks began to roll downwards. Each piece was literally collapsing or tipping over into a pillar of dust.

He held her close as they watched the pieces fall, except two. One was a Bishop and the other was a Knight. When the dust settled and the ground ceased shaking, Arthur and Ariadne stood in their place as they heard footsteps. Ariadne tore herself away from Arthur and walked towards the giant Bishop piece.

"That's my totem," she gasped. "Why is it here?"

The footsteps neared.

Arthur heard the noise closing in and he reached out for her. "Ariadne, I think we had enough."

Ariadne shook her head. The footsteps were getting louder. Arthur turned around in circles to see where the footsteps were coming from. Then Ariadne heard a noise deep within her massive totem.

"No, please no," her voice trembled.

Somehow the Bishop piece began to move. It slowly inched over on one side as if a giant invisible hand was pushing it over. First the knob gave out and it broke away from the base, where it finally exploded as it touched the ground. The base simply crumbled into a pile of debris and dust.

Ariadne couldn't take seeing her totem fall. She placed her hands over her mouth and stood silent as the final remains of her totem finally sprinkled down upon them.

"My totem is not supposed to do that."

"What do you mean?"

"I hollowed out my totem so that I could tip over easily in the real world but in here…"

"It would never tip over," Arthur finished.

The footsteps were gaining on them and when they finally saw a dark silhouette in the midst of the dust, Arthur leapt in front of Ariadne.

"Who is that?"

Ariadne didn't answer but she kept looking ahead of Arthur's shoulder and into the silhouette.

The silhouette broke through and with each step the new stranger took, Arthur realized how helpless he felt. He was an imaginary shield to Ariadne; a thought bubble.

"Don't come any closer!"

The stranger didn't look at Arthur. He kept his eyes on Ariadne. Ariadne looked back at him and then the Knight piece that towered alone behind him.

"I'm glad you're feeling better Ari," the stranger said. "You had me really worried there."

"I missed you…" Ariadne whispered.

Arthur looked back at Ariadne with wild eyes.

"Ariadne?" Arthur choked. He turned back to the stranger. "Who the hell are you?"

The stranger offered his hand to Ariadne who took his immediately. Arthur saw Ariadne's eyes go blank. She was simply staring without response. She was a human doll. When the stranger finally wrapped his arms around Ariadne he smiled at Arthur and adjusted his glasses.

"Why, I'm her Knight in shining armor. I'm her past, present and future. I'm everything she ever wanted and everything she'll ever want."

"Ariadne, come back over here." Arthur sound almost desperate. His eyes shined with every wave of his hand. "This is just a dream, he's not real."

Ariadne shook her head.

The stranger smiled. "Incorrect. Watch this." The stranger pulled out a small bishop piece from his pocket and dropped it on the floor.

Arthur saw it flip out three times before hitting the ground. It bounced up and then fell on its side. The piece rolled around and stopped at Arthur's shoe. He bent down and picked it up.

"Impossible. This is bullshit! Ariadne, I don't know how he's doing this but we're still dreaming!" Arthur's voice became hysterical.

"Who are you!" Arthur pointed at the stranger with glasses.

"I'm Thomas."

(Cue Inception Theme! BUUUUUUM! BUUUUUUM! BUUUUUUM! Again the chills never fail to come. Well now here you are. We've come so far and yet there are still so many more questions that are left unanswered. As I stated in the previous chapter I originally wanted this in Chapter Four but I knew many of you might've been Inceptioned out by the time you had reached this ending. Personally, I love this ending and I can't wait to write more into the story that I have planned. So, should I continue? Yes? No? Find another day job? Regardless, only your reviews will determine that. Please let me know how my writing is doing and your own personal experiences with reading this fanfic. I want nothing more than to know that I'm doing my job right. Am I?)


	6. An Old Friend

**6- An Old Friend **

Cobb spun his coffee cup between his hands, careful not to move any of the black liquid from its place. The coffee was completely level and undisturbed. The cup, however, spun around and around. Like rings on a distant planet, it glided around the coffee as if it and the liquid were completely separated. Two distant objects in constant motion.

Eames knocked on the wood with his hard knuckles. "You awake in there, mate?"

Cobb sipped his coffee and sat it back down on his dish. His eyes remained distant as they watched the street outside the coffee shop. "So what can we really say about them? Are they back, officially?"

"If they are then it means the death of us, all of us."

Cobb wondered about Ariadne. "I shouldn't have brought her in."

"Don't sulk. You didn't know they would come back and she knew exactly what she was getting herself into when she joined."

Cobb felt a singe of anger and responsibility. "She had no idea. It was a risk-"

Eames jabbed a finger at Cobb's front pocket. "_Exactly_! Risky decisions have consequences. You know that all too well, Cobb.

Cobb knew Eames was right but a man sitting behind Eames caught his attention. He eyed his jacket as the man read his paper to himself. He didn't like him at all. Eames nodded over to the man behind him but did not turn to look. He noticed him too. Cobb nodded in return and motioned for the shop's exit.

Just as Eames had dropped his tip on the table and sat up to leave, the man behind him dropped his paper and turned around to face them both.

Eames looked as if he saw a ghost,

"You're shorting the fair lady a few cents." A young man in his twenties grinned. He stood up, joined by Eames, and embraced him with unbearable strength.

"My god Stewart!" Eames gasped.

"Yes, it's been too long." Stewart released his embrace and shook hands with Cobb who was two seconds from sprinting.

"Stewart Grant." The young man introduced himself.

"Grant?" Cobb's mind froze but Eames smiled at him reassuringly.

"Yes, my father is the man who nearly killed your newest recruit and put himself into a coma."

Cobb realized that the young man knew too much. His heart was skipping enough beats to make its own.

Eames placed his hand on Cobb's shoulder. "Cobb, relax. He knows."

"I'm sorry Mr. Grant but how do you know about what we do?"

"Because we used to work together." Eames cut in. "We were partners."

"Partners?" Cobb whispered rather harshly.

Eames allowed Stewart to sit with them at their table before continuing to explain.

"Cobb," Eames began, "I told you that I was in the game a very long time. Stewart here helped with many extractions back in the day."

"No, the real help was Henry," said Stewart. "That man was made of gold."

"Who?"

"Henry Charter. A U.S. Soldier who used to be a part of the prototype of the machine we use now."

"What happened to him?" Cobb asked.

"Poor chap," said Stewart. He shook his head in discomfort.

"He got involved in politics the wrong way. Honestly, we actually don't know."

"I didn't know you were involved this long…even since the machine's origins." Cobb's voice was calmer but stiffer.

Eames shrugged. "A minor detail."

Cobb leaned back and crossed his arms. It was too much. Then he put Stewart into the picture and pulled out the card with the insignia of a maze on it. Stewart's eyes froze.

"Cobb, what the hell are you doing?" Eames growled.

Cobb ignored him.

"If you used to work with him then you know what this is." Cobb said.

"Where did you find that?"

"In your house. Mrs. Grant said that your father was working corporate security and when I found this on his desk it only provoked the question of for whom."

"My father couldn't have worked for them. He knows nothing about it."

"Are you still working with them?" Cobb leaned in closer, his voice trailing a sound of discontent.

"Cobb, that's enough. We'll figure this out in due time. First we need to find out how this was in his house in the first place and then we'll need to evade them at all costs." Eames took the card and pocketed it.

"I didn't know they were still a threat," said Stewart.

"Those people," Cobb pointed at Eames' jacket, are of the worst kind. They are a threat to anyone who can dream."

"If they've returned, and that looks like proof that they have, then you need to get away." Stewart said lowly.

"Not yet. Eames and I are in the middle of a project involving some heavy stuff."

Eames rolled his eyes. "I hate beating around the bush. He's talking about inception, Stewart."

"You're crazy!"

Cobb smiled. "Crazy does the trick sometimes. We would've done it sooner but that little bastard popped up. We can't go on with a project like this while they're around."

"So you need them removed?"

Eames and Cobb nodded.

"Let me help. I know what I'm doing in this field." Stewart pleaded.

"He has the experience, Cobb. He's the best."

Cobb was offended.

"Think it over." Stewart continued.

"Alright, we'll contact you. In the meantime find out what you can about them. We need to know if they've been in your house, what they want, will they return? Everything."

Stewart nodded obediently.

"But most importantly," Cobb's voice dropped to a low snarl, "can we trust you."

Eames answered for him. "Take it from me- we can."

Stewart smiled and shook hands with Cobb. He looked at his new employer, then to Eames and then to the pocket that held the card with the insignia inside.


	7. Reality

(What you've all been waiting for: answers. This is it, folks. This is the chapter. More answers, even more questions at the end. Can't comment much here but I will give a bit more of an explanation as to what's going on with my stor(ies) in the next chapter. This chapter's a little angsty but it's necessary. Please read and review!)

** 7- ****Reality**

The ride back to reality was not easy. Arthur picked up the dream machine, with all its cables and wires still attached and held it up in the air like a caveman on the verge of dropping a large rock onto his enemy. He was teetering on his feet, inches in front of the open window that oversaw the busy street of London below. Ariadne, still hot and wet faced, beckoned for Arthur to calm down.

He was enraged. There was no calming down for him.

Ariadne cupped her hands over her mouth and pleaded for him to put the machine down. Arthur could've easily let each finger slip aside and he knew it. He also knew, however, it wasn't the machine's fault. It was just a thing.

"Put it down Arthur." Ariadne couldn't have said it better, she thought as she turned around to face Cobb standing at the doorway of the studio. Behind him was Eames who was then joined by a strange young looking man.

"The poor boy's insane," muttered Eames.

"Whatever is it is it's not worth destroying our lives over. You drop that machine and it's curtains for you, me, Eames…even for her." Cobb walked towards Arthur as if he was walking on eggshells.

Arthur wouldn't have it. He held the machine up higher and took a deep breath. He wanted to see the machine hurled out of the window in one piece and across London's Avenue in millions. It was over.

"We can find Thomas," shouted Stewart.

Ariadne gasped. Arthur tossed the machine aside and pointed a finger at the stranger.

"How do you know him? Where is he?" Arthur's voice was unstable, broken almost.

Cobb and Eames glared at him furiously. They both shot him a _what have you done_ look.

Stewart remained cool. "Cobb and Eames told me about the name."

Eames and Cobb were on the verge of throwing Stewart out of the window themselves. But Arthur only looked hurt. "How can you two know?"

Cobb was the one to step forward first. "We know there's something going on with Ariadne. You two dropped the name once or twice before and we could pretty much figure out the rest."

Arthur was astonished at everyone around him and especially at himself.

"If he's a threat to her then he's a threat to everyone. We can find him and make him stop," said Cobb.

"I can do that myself, thank you." Arthur growled at Cobb and walked away. One his way out he gave a quick shove against Stewart's shoulder and exited the studio entirely.

Ariadne collapsed onto the nearest chair and sighed. Cobb and the others rushed forward, for her relief and answers.

"I didn't know it would get this bad," she whispered quietly.

Cobb held her hand. "What happened in there? Weren't you two doing training sessions?"

Eames cut in, "The question is what were you training for?"

"It's not like that alright." Ariadne shook her head. "I'm just so confused."

Cobb looked at Stewart. "Give us a moment, will you?"

Stewart gave an apologetic look towards Ariadne and disappeared.

"Ariadne, you're new here and a lot has happened. What's been going on?" Cobb voice became soft and reassuring. She could tell how someone could almost fall in love at the sound of his voice. She had no choice, she needed to tell them…

"Thomas," she began, "is a part of my past that I've wanted to leave behind. He was my better half, my partner in crime…my lover. Thomas was attending the University of Paris when I first met him. He was brilliant and gorgeous."

"When did you two separate?" Eames asked kindly, something that was shocking even to Cobb.

"Right before I took on this job. He wanted to know more about what I was getting myself into and I refused to tell him."

Cobb suddenly felt a warm, proud feeling inside of him.

"So we went separate ways and I never looked back."

"If you've never looked back then why are you mentioning his name?" Eames questioned. His normal self came back again.

"I'm not, he's coming after me."

"Coming?"

"Well…I just see him all the time. I see him in my dreams and sometimes when I wake. I hear his voice calling out to me and when it's very confusing…I can almost see him looking at me."

Eames wasn't like what he was hearing. Not one bit.

Cobb became still for a moment, wondering. "What were you really doing that night of the crash?"

Ariadne was taken aback. "I told you already-"

"Tell us the truth." Eames' voice became harder.

"I…" she paused, "wanted to see him. I had to take another look."

"Has he ever made a move to contact you or even get back with you since your break-up?" Cobb asked.

"Um…no. Why?"

"Did you leave him on bad terms? " Eames asked immediately after her response.

"No, what does that have to do with anything?"

Cobb leaned in closer. "Does he specialize in any type of Engineering? Psychology?"

Ariadne had enough. "Why are you asking me these things? Are you suspecting that Thomas is trying to get in my head?"

"Not trying…" Eames crossed his arms, "Already has."

* * *

It wasn't hard to find Thomas, not for Arthur anyway. Arthur leaned behind a dark tree at the corner of the local university. By the look of the young man in glasses, which was by itself an image burned into his mind, he recognized him as Ariadne's tormenter. He waited as the young man and another younger woman walked away from campus grounds and onto the streets. It was well beyond dusk so Arthur was practically cloaked in darkness. He followed them quietly and relentlessly until they parted ways a few blocks down the road at the front entrance of an apartment. The young man kissed his partner goodbye and watched her leave inside. Then he left the front steps and wandered back onto the streets.

Showtime.

Just when the young man was exiting from within an underpass of darkness, Arthur sped up his walk and stalked him like a lion. He couldn't let him escape into the light. Arthur wrapped his arm around the man's neck and pulled him back into the depths of the tunnel. He cupped his mouth with a gloved hand and tightened his arm's grip.

The man in glasses groaned angrily.

"Shut up." Arthur wanted to pull out the blade that was holstered in his back pocket but thought otherwise. "I know you know who I am."

The young man immediately shook his head.

"Lair!" Arthur tightened his grip even more. "I didn't come here to hear you lie. I want to know why are you stalking Ariadne?"

The young man's eyes lit up.

"See? You know exactly what I'm talking about."

The young man shook his head and tried to pry Arthur's hand away from his mouth with near success.

"I…haven't…seen…her," he choked.

Time for his backup plan, he thought. Arthur wielded a six inch blade and waved it in front of his eyes. "Keep it up with the lies and I'll do some damage."

"Dammit…I'm telling the truth!"

Arthur released his grip and listened.

"Ariadne and I split up a couple of months ago. I haven't seen, spoke or done anything to that girl since then." The young man named Thomas breathed furiously. "It was a hard break up for me, for both of us, what's with you bringing it up?"

Arthur looked at the blade and then at Thomas. "I don't understand."

"She wants me to leave her alone and so I did. She doesn't want me a part of her life and so I'm not going to be. It's done. Why are you digging it up? What's it to you?"

Arthur couldn't even answer that. He shook his head and apologized. "I…I'm sorry."

It only took two seconds for him to disappear back into the darkness of the underpass. Thomas watched him until he left his sight. Within him his stomach wrenched and he was reminded of what was lost to him.

_I'm sorry._

(Like I said, more commentary to come in the next chapter. PLEASE REVIEW and tell me what you think!)


	8. Extracted

(Hello again! I can't tell you how sorry I am for not updating soon enough. College happened. Let me tell you that there is a lot to explore in the coming chapters. Everything that I've been planning and leading up to has taken us here! It's true! So what are the questions readers have been sending me? If the Thomas in Ariadne is not Thomas, who or what is he? Who is the mysterious company that Cobb and Eames are so afraid of? And finally what is Arthur going to do about this whole mental catastrophe? Read on folks to get those answers! By the way, I have been noticing that you aren't taking advantage of my other stories on INCEPTION. I highly recommend you do. Trust me. Enjoy!)

**8- Extracted**

For the first time, in a long time, Arthur could remember his dream. He was hunched over the side of his bed in a distant studio apartment breathing heavily. Long streaks of sweat lined his forehead and shoulders. He was having difficulty focusing on anything other than Ariadne. In his dream she was still the mysterious young woman to him; a beautiful brunette with intelligence behind her wide smile. Now Ariadne was a woman still attached to the memory of a previous life. His meeting with Thomas only proved one thing: Arthur was in love with the girl and he was going to get hurt.

Arthur spent the rest of the night sitting in the corner of his room piecing Ariadne's story together. How he met her, where he first saw her, when he first loved her name. But each time Ariadne's eyes popped back up in his head he was reminded that they weren't looking at him. Ariadne wanted Thomas and there was nothing he could do about it. It was then, more than any other time before, when he longed her the most. Thomas' image flashed in his head again. He could see him as clear as day now. He was smirking at him, at the love he had for her. Arthur balled up a fist and felt the urge to punch the air. The boiling fury that was now erupting deep inside him was being pushed into his arm.

But Arthur didn't have to imagine Thomas anymore. A person was in his room with him, barely a few feet away. Arthur denied seeing Thomas but he couldn't ignore the fact for much too long. He was staring right into the eyes of the one man he hated. Was he losing his mind or was he still trapped in a dream? Arthur shook his head and closed his eyes to rest. He hated that man enough to see hallucinations of him. That was moment when Arthur finally realized he lost. Defeated, Arthur shielded his eyes and tried to erase the image of Thomas from his head.

Then he realized the honest but horrible truth of the whole thing.

* * *

Later that day, Arthur received a text message on his cell. He gave it a glance and read _URGENT, MEET AT HQ AT 15:00_. Arthur tucked the phone away and nodded to himself.

"Will be there in a sec, Cobb. I'm a little busy at the moment." Arthur said to himself quietly. He picked up an unconscious Thomas from the floor of his dormitory room and dropped him onto his bed. Arthur was wearing latex gloves and had with him the dream machine with him. Arthur adjusted Thomas so that he was comfortable and began wiring him up. He then attached himself to the machine and sat in the chair beside him.

Arthur looked at Thomas who was fast asleep with a prevailing look. "Let's see who's been extracting your ideas, shall we?"

Finally, with a single push Arthur turned on the machine and was dropped into the world of the subconscious once again.

(Yes, this is a short chapter but I'm trying to bide time to set up for Chapter 9's BIG REVEAL! It's been a long journey but we're finally here. Who is the man in Ariadne's head? Who is the mysterious company? All will be revealed in Chapter 9! Don't forget to review with your own theories and comments on what's going to happen! Thanks for reading!)


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